Chapter 11

At that, everyone's focus shifted from Lyanna Stark to the older woman at her side.

Elia Martell thusly stated "In his youth, Rhaegar became obsessed with a prophecy. To explain it would take more time than we can spare. It can be abridged to five words: 'The dragon has three heads.'"

Gregor could guess what was coming next. Even so, he listened as intently as everyone else.

Elia illuminated further "The prophecy forecasts the ending of the world itself. It will come in the form of coldness, darkness, and death. Only fire, light, and life can repel this terrible threat. The three-headed dragon will provide all three."

"But what does that have to do with Lady Lyanna?" Gregor inquired, hoping to confirm an old fan theory.

"The three heads of the dragon are supposed to represent three Targaryen children," Elia elaborated, "At least, that was what Rhaegar believed. He also believed that sometime after those three children are grown, actual dragons would return to the known world."

"Dragons have been extinct for over a century," Ser Mark Ryswell pointed out.

"Well, who's to say they cannot come back?" debated Theo Wull, ever the superstitious one.

Paying no mind to those comments, Elia revealed "Rhaegar saw all the signs leading up to the prophecy. Overtime, he became more and more convinced that the end would soon be upon us. As the heir to the Iron Throne, he made it his duty to prevent it. He even tasked himself with being the father of the three heads of the dragon."

After a brief pause, she muttered despairingly "Alas, I was only able to give him two. After Aegon, my womb would never quicken again."

"Even so, Rhaegar did not relent in his efforts to conceive a third child," Lyanna disclosed, "Hence, what happened at Harrenhal."

Eddard Stark's eyes widened in astonishment, as did those of his companions.

"I know how this sounds," Lyanna claimed, "When Elia told me of the prophecy, I assumed she was jesting. Even so, I let her take me to see Rhaegar the following morning. He confirmed everything she said, and I found out that his crowning of me was merely a pretext to his true intention. He told me that he wished me to be the mother of his third child."

Lyanna scoffed and mumbled ruefully "I thought he was mad as his father. I was tempted to leave him and Elia without another word."

"Why didn't you, my lady?" Lord Willam Dustin queried.

"Elia persuaded me to hear them out," Lyanna explicated, "So I did. By the end of that conversation, I must have been a little mad myself. Because I began to believe in the prophecy's validity, as well."

"After just one conversation?" Eddard remarked, clearly amazed, "What did they say to you?"

"Words can leave a great impact on people, Ned," was all Lyanna told her brother in response.

"What came next?" asked Howland Reed.

Lyanna continued with: "Rhaegar only asked me to be his third child's mother. The decision was mine to make. He did not force me to choose on the spot, either. He allotted me a full month to decide. He said that at the end of one month, he would come for my answer. Whatever it was, he would accept it."

Lyanna gazed at the wall languorously and muttered "For a full moon's turn after Harrenhal, I considered my options. For a while, staying in the North seemed preferable to going south. I also felt I was too young to be a mother."

"There we can agree," Eddard conceded, chuckling.

Lyanna chuckled with him, but then she became a little sterner and pronounced "To help me make my decision, I did some research. I spent a lot of time in the library at Winterfell. Probably more than I ever did in the rest of my life. I found some northern legends that bear tremendous similarity to the prophecy of the three-headed dragon. The accounts varied, but they all declared that the world would eventually cease to be through otherworldly means."

"Those were legends, Lya," Eddard argued, "I'd take no more stock in them than I would in Old Nan's stories."

"Some of Old Nan's stories might have actually been history lessons, Ned," Lyanna contended, "The more I read, the more ground I found to believe Rhaegar's prophecy. Soon I was split between going and staying. A week before my reply was due, I concluded I could not make the decision on my own. I elected to seek someone's counsel. Unfortunately, you were already back at the Eyrie with Robert and Lord Jon, Brandon was down in Riverrun, and I was too afraid to approach Father. That just left Benjen."

Eddard's brow furrowed at that. He loved Benjen as much as Lyanna did, but Ben was still a child.

Between the four Starks of their generation, Benjen was the one who would not lose interest in Old Nan's stories.

He may even retain some belief in them. Ned beckoned his sister "Go on."

"I told Ben all about the prophecy," Lyanna reminisced, "When I was finished, he gave me but one piece of advice. He counseled me to do what I thought to be right."

She let out a slow sigh and murmured "Of course, only I could decide what I thought was right. Running off with a prince might have been irresponsible and silly, but letting the world end when I could have helped save it was far worse. Either way, I knew I would be taking a risk, but the risk of the prophecy being true was just too great to ignore."

"So you willingly chose to go with Rhaegar Targaryen," Eddard Stark concluded.

"Which was no easy task," Lyanna continued, "My betrothal to Robert complicated matters. I did not wish to disgrace our family or his. The only way we could accomplish Rhaegar's plan was if it was done quietly. I swore Benjen to secrecy, and in the middle of the night, I snuck out of Wintefell. Since Rhaegar wanted his third child to be a legitimate one, he and I were wed in front of a heart tree near Castle Cerwyn. Ser Arthur, Ser Gerold, Ser Oswell, and Elia stood as witnesses."

"Didn't Prince Rhaegar's first marriage come into question?" enquired Howland Reed.

"Targaryens have had two wives before, Lord Howland," Gerold Hightower disclosed.

"Indeed," Arthur Dayne concurred, "Furthermore, Prince Rhaegar's marriage to Princess Elia was done in a sept for the New Gods. His marriage to Princess Lyanna was done in front of the Old Gods. Neither nullifies the other."

"That may be," Eddard Stark declared, suddenly a little rigid, "But there's something I must know, Lyanna."

"What, Ned?" the wolf girl asked.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Eddard all but demanded, "To just up and leave without a word… that's reckless, even for you. You could have at least left a note."

Lyanna looked flabbergasted. "But I did leave a note, Ned."

Eddard's aggravation was rapidly replaced with bewilderment. "You did?"

"Yes, I wrote messages for you, Father, and Brandon," Lyanna asserted, "To ensure that they got to you, we sent out three riders and three ravens. Two were destined for Winterfell, two for Riverrun, two for the Eyrie."

"We never received any of them," Eddard countered.

"I sent them, Ned!" Lyanna insisted, "I was so certain they would reach you in time. I was just as shocked as you were when Brandon rode to King's Landing and demanded Rhaegar's head."

"Now look where we are," Eddard mumbled through gritted teeth, "Father… Brandon… Rhaegar… so many others, gone. The fact that you weren't abducted changes everything. I am somewhat comforted by the knowledge that you tried to inform us of your activities. But it makes little difference in the long run. Everyone who died in the rebellion died for nothing."

"No," Ser Oswell Whent disputed, "Not for nothing, Lord Eddard."

"Because of some prophecy…?" Eddard began.

"Ser Oswell is not referring to the prophecy," Gerold Hightower interrupted him, "Prince Rhaegar was conspiring to remove his father from power. That was the true purpose of the tourney at Harrenhal. It was Rhaegar's way of sorting out those loyal to the crown and those loyal to the realm."

"As one who was subjected to the Mad King's 'hospitality,' I can say with certainty that the realm is the obvious choice," Ethan Glover claimed irately, still bearing his wounds from his time in the black cells.

"War was unavoidable in any case," Arthur Dayne debated, "Within two years, the realm would have bled. It was merely a grim misfortune that it did so before we were ready."

"Well, I should congratulate you; you succeeded anyhow," Eddard snapped in anger, "Aerys is no longer on the throne. But neither is his son. Worse yet, before the rebellion, I was third in line to Winterfell. Now, all because of carless negligence, I'mits lord."

"We all sincerely regret that your father and brother were the first of the war's casualties, Lord Eddard," Elia professed, "But please do not place all the guilt for their deaths at Lyanna's feet. I am just as much to blame for your sister's flight as she or my husband is."

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POWER STONE!!!

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